Fantasy Baseball Week 23: Winners, Losers, and Waiver Wire Wonders

With the start of football season, I had to take a week off from the baseball Winners, Losers, and Waiver Wire Wonders, but I’m back just in time. Another week of baseball in the books means another Winners, Losers, and Waiver Wire Wonders blog from the fantasy guru.

Keep in mind, the stats I show are the players' stats for the week, not on the season.

Vazquez was on fire last week. After allowing 10 runs in his previous three starts (spanning 19 innings), he only allowed two in 16 innings last week. One of those games was a complete game. He also had 17 strikeouts, upping his season total to 216. He is now 13-9 with a 3.01 ERA and should definitely be in your lineup for the playoffs.

SP – Ted Lilly – Chicago Cubs – 12 IP, 2 W, 14 K, 5 BB, 8 HA, 2 ER

Lilly has now won his last three starts and is now 12-8 on the year with a 3.05 ERA. If you have him, you are starting him for your playoff run.

Looks like Pedro has a little something left after all. He was dominant last week, throwing 14 innings and only allowing three runs while striking out 11. He has yet to lose with Philadelphia, as his record is 5-0 with a 2.87 ERA. Start him while he’s hot and he just may lead you to victory in the playoffs.

Butler has been quietly good all season, and it’s just now that people are starting to notice. He is hitting .298 on the year with 46 doubles, 17 home runs, and 80 RBI and is a safe play for the playoffs.

Ibanez started the year off red-hot, hitting .312 with 22 home runs and 59 RBI through June, but then got injured and cooled off significantly, hitting just .258 in July and a miserable .193 in August with just five home runs and 20 RBI.

He has picked it back up just in time for the Phillies, hitting .302 with four home runs and seven RBI (all last week) so far in September. Keep starting him while he is smashing the ball and he should help you win a title.

Rodney had a bad week, but by no means should this scare you off. He plays for a team in the hunt for a division title and has only blown one save all year. He has 33 saves with a 3.88 ERA. Keep starting him and you should be rewarded with a handful of saves.

Franklin was only used once last week, and he blew the save and took the loss. However, he has been practically lights out all year, converting 37 of 41 save opportunities, and has an ERA of 1.93.

St. Louis is going to keep trotting him out there, especially so they can finish up winning the division. Keep starting him and ignore the little bump in the road.

SP – Roy Oswalt – Houston Astros – 2 IP, 1 L, 5 K, 1 BB, 10 HA, 6 ER

Oswalt has been up and down all year, and this time he was really down. Not only did he allow six runs in two innings last week, he also went on to allow four runs in five innings this week and went on the DL, ending his season. Go ahead and drop him for someone you can use in your playoff hunt for a fantasy title.

Chipper Jones hasn’t been very Chipper-like this year. He is hitting just .269 with 16 home runs and 64 RBI and is now talking about possibly retiring after the 2010 season if he can't get his swing back.

He is also nursing a strained groin muscle right now, so keep him on the bench in your playoff run, unless he plays and starts hitting like the Chipper we all know and love.

Rios has been a complete bust for the White Sox so far. He is only 22-for-121 at the plate, with just one home run and two RBI. Go ahead and stash him on the bench because he could start to hit, but it’s very unlikely.

The Marlins' rookie sensation had an off week but still managed to score six runs. He is hitting .309 with 73 runs scored, nine home runs, 42 RBI, and seven stolen bases and is on track to win the NL rookie of the year award.

He is available, only being owned in 73 percent of CBS Sports leagues, 34.6 percent of ESPN leagues, and 43 percent of Yahoo leagues. Go ahead and grab him, and he will help your team’s batting average down the stretch.

McGehee has been a hot rookie in his time in the majors. He is hitting .304 with 15 home runs and 58 RBI on the year and is still available, only being owned in 55 percent of CBS Sports leagues, 21 percent of Yahoo leagues, and 23.8 percent of ESPN leagues. He is a great playoff pickup and could be a nice sleeper for next year.

As mentioned above, it looks like Pedro has a little something left after all. He was dominant last week, throwing 14 innings and only allowing three runs while striking out 11. He has yet to lose with Philadelphia, as his record is 5-0 with a 2.87 ERA.

He is available, only being owned in 78 percent of CBS Sports leagues, 29.6 percent of ESPN leagues, and 49 percent of Yahoo leagues. Grab him and start him while he’s hot and he just may lead you to victory in the playoffs.

Has this guy been on fire or what? He has won three of his last four starts and has 15 wins on the year with 179 strikeouts. He is still only owned in 82 percent of CBS Sports leagues, 35.2 percent of ESPN leagues, and 54 percent of Yahoo leagues, so go ahead and grab him for your hunt for a title.

RP – Leo Nunez – Florida Marlins – 2 IP, 2 SV, 0 K, 0 BB, 0 HA, 0 ER

Waiver Wire Wonder? Nunez has grabbed full control of the Marlins' closing job and doesn’t appear anywhere close to losing it. He saved eight games in August and has 22 on the season with a 4.00 ERA.

If you own him (and most people don’t, as he is only owned in 53 percent of Yahoo leagues, 48 percent of CBS Sports leagues, and 31.6 percent of ESPN leagues), keep starting him and be rewarded with a few saves that may help you win your league.